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Subject:
From:
Chris Allen <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Discussion of Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 14 Mar 1997 13:45:25 +1000
Content-Type:
text/plain
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text/plain (38 lines)
At 12:48 PM 13/03/97 -1000, you wrote:
>Does Australia import honey bees from other countries.
 
This has been covered before.
 
Australia allows the import of breeder queens under strict quarantine.  The
beekeeper must get permission before hand to import a queen.  I think a
certificate of health is required.
 
When she arrives she is taken to the quarantine cages.  At this stage she is
given a completely new set of escorts (from local colonies kept for the
purpose).  Her old escorts (about 40 of them) are destroyed and examined.
 
If the escorts are satisfactory, the queen is put in to a breeding nucleus.
These colonies are still in restricted flight cages. If required, a licensed
person will artificially inseminate her.  The colony will raise her brood
which is also examined.
 
If her new brood is satisfactory, the beekeeper can take queen cells from
the station for introduction to the apiary.
 
Eventually the imported queen is destroyed and so are all the bees that were
in contact with her.  Only queen cells are released from the quarantine station.
 
This system has worked well.  It has intercepted a few cases of pests and
bad genetic stock.
 
There is no need to import package bees because we do not destroy our
colonies in winter. (they can still gather honey through the winter)  The
ocassional import of highe quality genetic breed stock is all that is
required and the quarntine system works very weel for that purpose.
 
 
 
Regards
 
Chris Allen

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